Monday, February 22, 2010

SRO Housing To Replace Art Gallery With Chain Stores At 5th & Main And Then Evict Local Residents

At today's meeting with SRO Housing about their purchase of the Roslyn Hotel (where Bert Green opened the first new gallery in the then new Gallery Row), representatives of the low-income housing group announced there were going to replace art galleries, with what they call 'real retail' - such as a Coffee Bean and a Staples Office Supply Store.

So not only are they opposed to art galleries in their buildings - but when it comes to 'real' retail the only two examples that could come up with were two corporate owned, out of area chain stores - and none any of the many locally owned stores we have brought into the neighborhood. And then they told us they expect to get funding from the CRA to screw over our neighborhood.

They also started off with a promise to preserve the existing low income, working class residents unless, they then added, they got funding to redo the whole building at one time in which case- everyone would be evicted, making their first promise totally worthless.

And - as usual - it is our city officials who are leading this attack on both our neighborhood businesses and our neighborhood residents while using out tax dollars to do so. And yet they wonder why this city is going broke.

this is workforce housing... workforce housing and it should be maintained as such... these are young aspiring tax payers who are contributing to the general fund.. they should not be evicted from the Rossylyn..